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How Should You Respond In The Way You Work In The Current Economic Climate?

We are seeing very different reactions to the way people are dealing with the current stresses and challenges of their daily work. We thought it could be useful to create greater self awareness around your own and your team’s approach, to help we’ve put together a composite of the four major behavioural types.

The Incapacitated Worrier
This person’s major contribution to the problems at work is to worry about them – all the time.  The amount they worry is in inverse proportion to the business impact they make.  Worrying becomes a displacement activity for acting.  These people resent being challenged about what they are (not) doing because they feel they are carrying the burden of the organisation’s problems on their shoulders, so can’t do any more.  They are often prone to exaggeration of issues, so are dangerous to have around people with less experience and less company knowledge because the rookies will assume the Incapacitated Worrier knows the inside track.

Action Required
Give them as full and as accurate update on the organisation’s position.  Tell them any more speculation is distracting and destabilising; apprise them of their responsibility for the mood in the team.  Suggest they start forcing on doing, rather than explaining things.

The Political Operator
This person is totally internally focused.  Survival is their motivation and the way to achieve that is to stay as close as possible to the people who either make the decisions or bring influence to bear.  The real danger with these people is they organise what they are doing in ways that best suits themselves rather than their company.  Although a political sensibility is required to be effective in any complex human environment, this person has taken it way too far, seeing everything in terms of how they strengthen or weaken their personal position.   

Action Required
Tell them they’ve been spotted.  Help them to understand that when the criteria for any (de)selection process are being developed they will suffer because they are focusing on the wrong things.  And they won’t be allowed to manipulate the process either!  If this person is your boss be very careful.

The Naïve
This person believes they are doing a good enough job; others are more at risk than they are, so their behaviour hasn’t changed at all over the last year.  Sometimes they are in denial, they can’t face worrying so they pretend to themselves everything is OK, sometimes they have an overinflated sense of their own value to the company. Whichever way, these are people that believe by just doing their job and hoping for the best things will turn out OK.   

Action Required
Make sure they know exactly how well they are doing (or not) and where they could be sharper, demonstrate more commitment etc.  These could be good people to have around, as long as they don’t become complacent.

The Aware Realist
This person has two significant things going for them.  Firstly, they know they must deliver the basics of their role brilliantly.  Doing well what they are paid to do gets them to first base in any evaluation process. Secondly, they seek to add additional value through a broader contribution.  The combination of these two approaches places them in the ‘sweet spot’ of being a high quality, low maintenance employee.

In terms of their mental state they try to stay realistically positive.  Consequently, these people are perceived to be sensible, steady and secure in themselves, making them very effective managers – at any level.

Action Required
Recognise their contribution; encourage them to coach more, and to extend their influence.

Which of these four composites best represent your approach to work at present?

Predaptive can help companies, teams and individuals through these difficult times.

To chat through your own issues call Anita Barnwell on 01789 734333 or email anitab@predaptive.com to arrange a confidential, no obligation exploratory conversation.

Claudine McClean
T: 01789 734333
E: claudinem@predaptive.com